Dental bridge



Jan. 21, 1969 A 3,422,534

DENTAVL BRIDGE Filed Jun 14, 1965 INVENTOR 67am? 4. Bah/w BY 2 v y 7 laws.

United States Patent 1 Claim Int. Cl. A61c 13/22; A61c 13/10 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dental bridge for positioning one or more pontics in the mouth, the bridge including a bar spanning the distance between a pair of spaced abutments and a sleeve which is adapted to embrace the bar, the pontics being carried by the sleeve. The bar and the sleeve are of complementary, curvilinear configuration, the bar being rectangular in transverse cross section, the sleeve being U-shaped in transverse cross section. At least one of each of the pair of faces which are in engagement when the bar is embraced by the sleeve is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending serrations whereby the bar and the sleeve are retained in engagement.

This invention relates to a dental bridge and, more particularly, to a bridge including at least one removable pontic, there being means carried by said pontic for removably positioning the same in an arch, said arch being provided with means for receiving said pontic.

It is the most important object of this invention to provide means for removably interconnecting a dental bridge including at least one pontic with an arch of teeth, this being accomplished by providing the pontic with a sleeve and the arch with a bar, the sleeve embracing the bar whereby to removably retain the bridge with respect to the arch.

Yet another important object is to provide a bridge which may be utilized in the frontal portion of the mouth by making the sleeve and bar curvilinear in configuration whereby to conform to the natural configuration of the teeth in the frontal portion of the mouth.

Another important object is to provide a sleeve of U-shaped, transverse cross-sectional configuration which presents a bight and a pair of spaced-apart legs, each having inner and outer faces, the inner faces of the legs being provided with a plurality of serrations whereby to present a corrugated surface whereby to provide a pair of opposed corrugated surfaces, the bar being polygonal in crosssectional configuration whereby to present a pair of opposed sidewalls, the sidewalls being likewise provided with a plurality of serrations whereby to present a corrugated area, the corrugated areas of the sleeve and those of the bar being in face-to-face engagement when the sleeve embraces the bar, as when the bridge is placed in the arch, whereby said bridge may be frictionally retained in position in the arch but yet be readily removable when such is desired.

Other important objects include details of construction which will become apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of an upper arch showing the bridge in position therein;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the upper arch showing the bridge removed;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the upper arch showing the bridge removed;

3,422,534 Patented Jan. 21, 1969 "ice FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the bridge;

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective View of the bridge; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, fragmentary, exploded view showing the bar and the sleeve.

The bridge, broadly designated by the numeral 10, is designed for insertion into an arch designated as 12, the specific embodiment of this invention illustrated in the drawing showing an upper arch wherein the bridge consists of the central incisors and the lateral incisors constituting the pontics, although it will be appreciated that any one or more pontics may constitute the bridge within the contemplation of this invention.

Thus, the bridge as illustrated, consists of four pontics 14 and an artificial tissue portion 16 molded in surrounding relationship to the upper portion of the pontics whereby, when the bridge is inserted into the arch in a manner hereinafter described, the same will be complementary thereto whereby a realistic appearance is presented.

In order that the bridge 10 may be removably inserted in the arch 12, pontics 14 have the rear faces thereof provided wtih a slot 18, which slot receives a curvilinear sleeve 20, the sleeve 20 being seated in the slot 18 and suitably secured therein as by adhesive or the like.

Sleeve 20 is U-shaped in transverse cross-sectional configuration whereby to present a bight 22 and a pair of spaced-apart, norm-ally vertically disposed legs 24, the sleeve having an outer face 26 and an inner face 28, the inner face 28 defining a channel or groove 30.

In order to receive the bridge 10, arch 12 is provided with a curvilinear bar 32 which spans the distance be tween a pair of spaced-apart abutments 34, the abutments being in the nature of teeth adjacent the ends of the bridge, the bar 32 being suitably secured to said abutment teeth 34 as by fusing each end of the bar to its corresponding abutment in a known manner.

Bar 32 is polygonal in configuration whereby to present a pair of opposed sidewalls 36, such sidewalls having a plurality of serrations 38 formed thereupon, whereby a corrugated surface is presented throughout the width and length of sidewalls 36.

The inner faces 28 of legs 24 of sleeve 20 are likewise provided with a plurality of serrations 40 whereby the inner faces 28 of the legs 24 are corrugated throughout the width and length thereof, it being noted that serrations 38 of bar 32 and serrations 40 of legs 24 of sleeve 20 extend the full lentgh of their corresponding members.

The distance between legs 24 of sleeve 20, that is the width of channel 30, is substantially the same as the width of the bar 32 and the depth of channel 30 is substantially equal in height to the height of bar 32, all to the end that bar 32 may be complementally received within groove 30 of sleeve 20.

Thus, when it is desired to position bridge 10 in arch 12, the pontics 14 constituting bridge 10 can be grasped and the bridge positioned in such a manner that channel 30 faces upwardly in position to be moved into embracing relationship with bar 32. The pontics are then positioned at their desired locations with respect to arch 12 and the sleeve 20 shifted upwardly into tight frictional engagement with the bar 32, it being appreciated that the curvilinear configuration of sleeve 20 and bar 32 is identical so that the same may mate upon the sleeve being moved into embracing relationship with the bar.

When the bridge is thus positioned, it will be appreciated that the corrugated inner faces of the legs 24 are in overlying mating engagement with the corrugated sidewalls of the bar 32, all to the end that the sleeve 20 may be frictionally retained by the bar 32 by virtue of the interengagement of the corresponding corrugated sur faces.

It will also be appreciated that, while the above described mating relationship will retain the bridge 10 in nevertheless be easily removed for cleaning purposes and the like.

As indicated above, the bridge illustrated in the:drawing constitutes the central and lateral incisors which form the forwardmost teeth of the arch, and thus the sleeve and the bar are curvilinear in configuration, it being appreciated that the particular configuration of said bar and sleeve may be modified to most attractively accommodate the bridge to the arch. It will also be appreciated that, if the bridge were to constitute other teeth of the arch, the bar and the sleeve would be of the desired configuration, be it curvilinear or straight.

Thus, there is presented an aesthetically pleasing bridge which may be easily inserted and removed for repair, change .or cleaning, the bridge being of simplified and economical construction and yet, presenting the normal structural and aesthetic characteristics desired by the user of such a bridge. v

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A dental bridge comprising:

a curvilinear bar spanning the distance between a pair of spaced-apart abutments, each end of the bar being secured to a corresponding abutment, said bar being polygonal whereby to present a pair of opposed side- Walls, said sidewalls having a plurality of corrugations extending longitudinally thereof;

a curvilinear sleeve adapted to frictionally embrace said bar, there being at least one pontic secured to said sleeve, the sleeve being U-shaped in transverse cross section whereby to present a bight and a pair of spaced-apart legs having inner and outer faces, the inner faces being engaged by said corrugations when the sleeve embraces the bar, said pontic being secured to said outer faces, the curvilinear configuration of the bar and the sleeve being identical, each being in its entirety the arc of a common circle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS .,908,643 1/1909 Bloom 329 1,140,537 5/1915 Skinner 325 '2,826,814 3/1958 Sappey et a1. 325

ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner. 

